With two linemen injured, Adam Koets gets his chance at center for the Giants

Star-Ledger File PhotoGiants backup center Adam Koets will get plenty of work with the starters over the next few days and for as long as Shaun O'Hara and Rich Seubert are sidelined with injuries.

ALBANY, N.Y. – Last year, with every low snap that caught only the quarterback’s fingertips before falling to the grass, Adam Koets learned it’s not about the reps on the sideline. It’s the ones midway through practice with a defensive tackle in front of him that count.

“You’ve got to build when you’re tired,” the Giants’ backup offensive lineman said Friday. “That’s when you know if you really can go out there and execute.”

Well, Koets had better put on his hardhat because he’s got a lot of building to do in the coming days.

With starting center Shaun O’Hara already sidelined with a nagging ankle injury, guard/tackle Kevin Boothe out for another month or so and guard/center Rich Seubert now out for at least a week and probably closer to two, Koets is in line to take a lot more reps in front of Eli Manning and Jim Sorgi here at UAlbany.

It’s a blessing for the former sixth-round pick, who dressed for only three games in his first three NFL seasons.

“We don’t want to see anybody go down and we wish the best for Shaun and Rich,” Koets said. "But things are getting shaken up a bit and we really don’t know (what to expect). So take your opportunities when they come and make the most of them. That’s what I see this as for me.”

It’s also a curse because, with only one other center on the roster right now, let's just say Koets is about to find out for sure if he can improve when he’s tired.

“It’s a challenge,” a Koets said with a telling laugh. “We realize we’re going to work in full pads today and we have three interior guys out. But we have to take up the slack and still go out there and practice. It’s what’s required of you.”

What’s required of a center, before anything else, is delivering the ball safely to the quarterback’s hands. It sounds easy, but it’s not – at least not when you’re asked to simultaneously take a step toward delivering a block. Koets had a tough time of it during camp last year and heard from coach Tom Coughlin about it pretty much on a daily basis.

It was a new skill set for the former Oregon State tackle. And one year later, he has almost mastered it while improving his blocking technique as well.

“Experience, without question,” Koets said when asked what’s cured his snapping ills. “I’ve gotten better, though I had one that was a little low yesterday. It’s really just going out there and being focused. It’s putting everything together.”

Koets wasn’t shy when asked why he believes he was chosen by the coaching staff to convert to center.

“A lot of my key attributes work well at center," he said. "I’m a smart guy, I go out there and make the calls, I have quick feet, I’m athletic, I can get up to the ‘Mike’ (middle) linebacker. Some of those things are hard to do as a center, but I can handle them.”

Koets says he’s vastly improved from a technique standpoint but is still hoping to be more of a force inside.

“One of the things I’ve always needed to work on is being physical and moving those defensive tackles,” he said. “When we get the pads on, that’s what I have to do and I’ve been working on that.”